Zwickau (dpa/sn) - The employees of the Zwickau joint shaft plant have won higher severance payments and a transfer company. In a ballot, a good 96 percent of the members agreed to a social wage agreement negotiated with the company GKN, the IG Metall trade union announced on Friday. According to this, the employees receive a severance payment of 1.5 monthly salaries per year of service, but at least 17,500 euros. Often only 0.5 monthly salaries are usual. In addition, there would be 5,000 euros per child and a surcharge for union members, it said. In addition, a transfer company is to be set up.
"This is a solidary solution for everyone, which has never been seen before in the course of a plant closure in eastern Germany," said Jörg Kirsten, chairman of the works council. The automotive supplier GKN announced in January that it would be closing the plant in the Mosel district of Zwickau for the foreseeable future. 835 employees are affected. Earlier this week, employees went on strike to enforce a social wage agreement. The strike was initially interrupted after the agreement on Wednesday and has now been declared over by IG Metall.
"The severance payments and the transfer company for further training form a social network that prevents a crash without protection," explained IG Metall district manager Irene Schulz. She spoke of an interim success. The fight for the preservation of the location and the jobs will continue. Because it's not primarily about money, emphasized Thomas Knabel from IG Metall Zwickau. "Now the next step is to find an investor for the plant in Mosel."
